Somebody Pray for Me
by Purpleflamekitten
Summary: Nothing in this world that comes easy is worth fighting for. Alaina is just a girl who wants to please her mother. Erik is a boy with nothing to lose. What will happen when their lives cross paths.
1. chapter 1

Living in Oakland's roughest neighborhood did nothing but make my heart colder and my mind sharper. My momma told me she believed I would do something great and I made it my mission to prove her right. I woke up and looked at my alarm clock, it read 5:15 in glowing red. I knew I needed to get up ,but my body was protesting. 'You're my shining star' are the words that whispered through my mind at moments like this. At my weakest my mom was always there for me. I got up begrudgingly and padded to the bathroom to complete my morning routine.Washing my face I look up at the guarded brown eyes that stared back at me. I sighed going back into the room and picking out my outfit, I didn't have much to choose from,but someday I would change that. I finally chose a brown flowy top and light wash jeans. Putting on my worn out Jordans I made my way to the kitchen to grab some fruit before leaving for the day.

"Who said you could touch my shit?" snarled a voice from behind me.

I slowly closed my eyes and pretended to be calm while inside I was frozen solid.

"Nobody." I mumbled putting the apple back in order to keep his wrath at bay.

"So you just stealing now?" he said coming closer.

His breath was the first thing that hit me before I could even think of a response. He reeked of whiskey mixed with a little bit of beer. I knew immediately there was no diffusing the situation therefore you took a deep breath and waited for the hit to come. When the strike did come it knocked the breath right out of me. I fell to the floor whimpering in pain and knowing he was not nearly done with the beating. Knowing I couldn't protect my body I curled in the fetal position in order to protect my face. 'Your body was already covered in bruises and lacerations what's a few more' whispered a dark voice in my mind. When I'm on the ground he lands a solid kick directly between my ribs that knocks all the breath out of me. I try not to make a sound knowing that that would only make the beating worse and I wanted to be able to move so I could make it to class. All I can think is I hope he finishes before I pass out, I can't miss a day of school. Surprisingly instead of continuing to hit me he crouches down and whispers low enough for my blood to run cold.

"Wait until you get home." he blew his foul breath in my face and turned to leave.

I looked at the clock and it read 6 o'clock.

"I'm late, shit!" I ran out the door toward the bus I was supposed to catch. It sped off just as I was about to be at the stop. I immediately started to panic I told my brain to shut up so I could think I needed a level head if I was going to get out here in one piece. Looking around I saw two men ,coming towards me and I stopped breathing completely. I ran to the park that was close to my house to escape them. The park was run down and no children ever came to play here,but we did have a basket tied to a post as a faux basketball hoop. I hid in the slide area until I heard the shouting pass me.

"No no no no no." I repeated the word until I could breathe again. I needed a plan I had to get to school I couldn't miss a day if I wanted colleges to look at me. They had to know I was serious about my education, I needed to get out of Oakland like my momma wanted. I looked up and decided I would just walk the 3 miles it would take me. I heard the voice in my head whisper 'Yeah bitch walk off some of that fucking weight and maybe you could get out of Oakland easier.' I shudder at the voice knowing it wasn't the voice of my momma anymore. I sighed again knowing the voice was right and maybe if I walked more I could be in better shape. With a shake of my head I started on my trek to the school. I was about halfway there when the sky decided to open the floodgates of heaven and start flooding the streets. Immediately soaked I ran the rest of the way trying to avoid cars and people. Entering the building I slid into my homeroom class with my heart pounding and gasping for air. Everyone's head snapped to me as though they were observing a wild animal at the zoo. I felt my body heat up with embarrassment and made my way to my seat with my eyes glued to the floor. As soon as I sat down Mrs.Jackson raised her eyebrows and with an evil look in her eyes she said"Nice of you to join us Alliyah."

I rolled my eyes at her. She was one of those teachers that hated her job and took it out on her students. She didn't like me in particular though because I was actually passing her class with an A.

"We're taking a test on parabolas today you might want to study up on the subject before we start" she said with a smrk.

The whole class burst into giggles thinking that I had problems with the subject I just smirked knowing I knew the subject up and down before we even started studying it.

"Nah I think I'm good." I said with a little more attitude than I would have if my day wasn't so shit. She just smiled and turned to her desk to hand out the test. It didn't escape my notice that she handed everyone a test from one pile and handed me mine from a whole other pile. I raised my eyebrows and held my breath as she placed the test in front of me. Peering down at it I realized it had nothing to do with parabolas at all and had advanced Calculus on it instead. I covered my wide smile with my hand and got to work. After homeroom school flew by and the next thing I knew I was walking in the opposite direction of where my bus sat waiting to take me to that poor excuse of a home. With my head down I walked to the library. On my way to the row of seating in the back I ran into a figure .

"I-I'm sorry." I mumbled out so he wouldn't get mad.

. He had the shadow of well built muscle under his black hoodie and plain jeans. His hair was in locks that fell into his face framed by wide set reading glasses. While I was in La La Land checking the boy out he shoved me out of the way. It wouldn't have been a big deal if his hands didn't push in the exact place of one of my most tender bruises. I cry out and a look of shock fills his face before he could mask it again. I regain my composure in a nanosecond.

"I'm fine, don't touch me." I snarled.

With that I pushed past him and took a seat getting ready to study for hours.

"I know you didn't just bump into me then get an attitude."the boy that I bumped into groused.

He grabbed the chair next to me and made himself comfortable in my personal space. I just looked at him for a second then turned back to my school work determined to not be bothered by him.

"So you ain't talking now?"

Silence filled the space between you us. "Aight bet."

I rolled my eyes while reading the same sentence over and over again. I looked over at him through my peripherals and caught him staring at me.

"If you gonna be in my personal space at least open a book."

He chuckled and continued to stare at me .Finally I huffed in frustration and started to gather my books. A hand grasps my wrist before I could pick up my notebook.

"Where you think you going?" he drawled.

"That ain't none of your business, I don't know you and you don't know me so just leave me alone."

"I'm Erik."

I just stared at him in disbelief. Did this boy, that looked like trouble in the worst way, just give me his name?

"I'm Alaina." I said hesitantly.

"Yeah I know we have homeroom together."

I looked at him one last time before my brain finally broke through the fog and told me it was time to leave. I turned on my heel and almost ran out of the library towards the exit of school. When I finally got a fresh air I was able to think straight again. How did that boy control my mind so easily? If I didn't know any better I would say the intoxicating smell of Satinwood must have poisoned my mind and taken over my body. I shook my head and headed back to the park to set up camp for the night.Immediately I noticed a figure following me so instead of going in the direction I planned on laying my head I went the opposite way to the nearest store hoping whoever it was would back the hell off. When I heard the jingle of the bell behind me I knew I had no such luck.I turned around to look at the person tailing me and sucked in a breath of shock.

"What the hell Erik why are you following me around?" I said with a hint of sass in my tone.

"Do you know how rude it is to walk away from someone in the middle of a conversation?" he said casually.

I knew he was mad though because his shoulders were tensed and ready for a fight. I looked into his eyes for the first time and I saw a reflection of me. I looked horrible with bags under my bloodshot eyes.

"I thought we was done." I said in an uncaring tone. He looked like he wanted to say more when another person entered the empty store.

"Alaina what is your ass doing in here talking to some boy? Daddy waiting for you back at home." Javaris my big,dumb brother said.

"Okay hold on I'm coming." I said forlornly. I feel Erik tense beside me as he sees the worry and genuine fear etched on my face. He reaches down and hands me a piece of paper before walking out eyeing Javaris the whole way. I walked behind Javaris dreading entering the house,but knowing I was safe at least until J left with his new girlfriend to the movies that night. Daddy never let Jarvis see him hit me and I never told him hoping to keep him out of it and us off the streets.

"So who was ole boy you was talking to?" Jarvis said conversationally.

I knew I had to choose my words carefully cause just like any good little boy Javaris would deliver any information I gave to him to my dad in a heartbeat.

"He ain't nobody." I said hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

We walked in silence for the rest of the way. I knew we weren't finished with the conversation but I was relieved that for the moment he was minding his own business. My whole thought process was focused on Erik and how he was able to so easily control my thoughts. I needed to focus on the punishment that I would receive when I got home. When I walked through the door I knew I was gonna be sorry I existed at the end of the night. There he was the man that beat me for eight years, my so called dad. He was rolling a blunt and had two scantily clad women draped over him. How could he behave like this in his late wife's- my momma's- house? She spent the better part of her life paying off this house. She would be rolling over in her grave if she knew the dead beat she married did what he did in her house. I knew I was about to make the beating worse, but I couldn't help myself. I raised my eyebrows and scoffed at the trio muttering about how I hope he get something he can't cure. I knew he heard me and I knew I would pay for it later. I walk into my room and flop onto my bed ignoring the pain in my body.

When I woke up there was a looming presence over my bed. I blinked a couple of times to make sure I wasn't still dreaming. No. I realized,this wasn't a dream it was a nightmare. I sucked in a deep breath as he held the belt and came down onto my overheated skin repeatedly.I was shocked as this was the first time he hit me with anything other than his hands. It felt like liquid fire where the belt made contact with my skin. My whole existence was focused on the acute pain blanketing my body. I screamed out trying to alleviate some of the physical pain.When my screams started the evil glint in his eyes truly twinkled. Finally he relinquished the belt and moved on to using his fists to finish the job. The last thought that crossed my mind was 'I'm gonna be with momma'. Then all the pain went away and there was nothing but darkness,

I woke up in a room that smelled like antiseptic. "What..." I couldn't finish my sentence, it hurt to much to talk. In fact it hurt to do much of anything. Breathing was even a struggle. I moved my eyes around the bland room with its stark white walls, floor, and ceiling. There was a chair in the room ,but it was obviously just there for decoration cause there's no way it could be comfortable. I was the only one in the room at the moment giving me time to figure out why I was in a hospital to begin with. My brain slowly sludged through my memories until finally I remembered what happened last night. The brutality of the memory made my hands sweat and heart race as I relived all the pain I went through at the hands of the one person in the world who was supposed to love me unconditionally. I tried to calm myself when I heard a soft knock on the door. An elderly looking nurse walked in, she was beautiful with her short bob style haircut and caring brown eyes, She was slightly plump and wore glasses that you could have plucked right off a model in any magazine. What really caught my eye though was the slight smile she wore to greet me. I don't remember the last time someone smiled so kindly at me.

"How are you doing sweetie?" came her soft slightly high pitched voice.

I blinked out of my reverie and opened my mouth to explain to her taat I'm fine and I didn't need to be there any longer. Before I had the chance though a voice came from behind her.

"What happened to you shawty?"

I knew who owned that voice immediately even though I only talked to him once. I rolled my eyes the only thing I could safely do. I motioned to be sat up after I tried and failed to do it myself. The nurse quickly made her way over to me and after I assured her I was fine and comfortable multiple times she left the room giving Erik the stink eye the whole time.

"Erik what are you doing here?" I said slightly embarrassed.

He just walked closer inspecting my face before his eyes moved down to the numerous tubes sticking out of my arms and finally the bandages wrapped around every inch of my skin. Done with his evaluation he took a seat in the chair next to my bed. Finally he opened his mouth to tell me how he even knew I was here.

"I knew something was wrong when you weren't in homeroom." he whispered almost to himself.

"Erik I'm fine." I said punctuating it with another roll of my eyes.

"No you're really not. You are sitting in a hospital bed barely able to move.Don't think I don't catch the small winces you make everytime you move.Okay is nowhere near what you are get the fuck outta here with that Alaina."

I gasped at the anger brewing deep in his voice. Instantly my hackles rose.

'Why are you mad at me?" I say in the sharpest voice I could manage. Who did he think he was? I barely even knew him and he wanted to sit up on his high horse yelling at me. My life was hard enough without him trying to come in and make it more difficult. He looked me in the eye for the first time since he walked in the room. White hot fire was emanating from them. I immediately looked away to keep from embarrassing myself further in front of him.

"Just leave please." I whispered softly.

I turned away from the chair expecting him to leave without an argument. Waiting a few moments I turned around to see him still there looking at me. Raising his eyebrow as if daring me to say something he got more comfortable in the chair. We sat like that for hours.


	2. Chapter Two

"You know you never told me why you're here right?" I said breaking the comfortable silence.

He looked at me as though I'm dumb, then shook his head smiling at a hidden joke.

"I came because you weren't in homeroom and we were grouped together in a project. Mrs.Jackson said you would need some help so she decided to group you with me." he boasted.

I rolled my eyes.

"Mrs.Jackson think she funny" I said snidely knowing she was trying to make me look bad.

Erik just raised his eyebrow at me . He apparently didn't believe I was the top of the class. This was all a joke to me, this boy didn't know me at all. Who did he think he was judging me? All of a sudden there was a series of shouts coming toward the room from the hallway. I shook my head. People were so obnoxious and inconsiderate yelling in a hospital filled with sick people. The closer the voices came the more coherent the words were, I recognized Jarvis's voice immediately among all the racket. The door to my room burst open effectively creating a hole in the previously unmarred plaster.\ Jarvis looked like he hadn't slept at all. His hair normally in a puff in between braiding sessions was askew and falling into his bloodshot eyes. He was wearing a old torn shirt from his time coaching little league at the wreck center and some basketball shorts.

'I'm so sorry Alaina." were the first words to leave his mouth after setting eyes on me.

I was taken aback. None of this was Jarvis's fault. I looked my brother in the eye hoping to set him straight with my stern look.

"Jarvis don't you apologize to me again. You are my brother and I love you. I hid this from you, I didn't want you to know what was happening because I didn't want him to hurt you too." The tears were falling fast now that my big brother knew and i finally had someone in my corner to protect me from my demons. Without warning Jaarvis rushed to me wrapping me in a bone crushing hug.

"You are never allowed to do that to me again. Do you hear me?" the tears were evident in his voice.

I shook my head at him and cracked a smile."Sir yes sir!"

Then we were laughing feeling lighter than we had since the crash.I looked toward Erik who was sitting quietly in the corner. He looked so awkward it was kind of endearing.

"Hey J this is Erik from my homeroom class.You'll probably be seeing more of him. We have a project together for the next three months.'

Jarvis just nodded his head at Erik and turned back to me with a slight disapproving look on his face. I shot him a look shaking my head. Nothing was going on between me and Erik and it wasn't his place to get involved. We sat and chatted for the better part of a hour before Erik decided it was time for him to leave. With Erik out of the way Jarvis immediately pounced.

"So who is that little boy?" he said in his best concerned big brother impression. I rolled my eyes at his antics.

"His name is Erik and don't even go there J."

He sighed and went to sit in the unoccupied chair. My voice was small and careful when the next words escaped me.

"What's next for us J?" This situation was my worst nightmare come to fruition. I wasn't concerned for myself as much as I was concerned for my big brother and our future. He looked at me as though I had developed a second head.

"We are ,gonna press charges and move him out of mama's house."

Jarvis said as though it was the most obvious decision and I should have known this would be our course of action. I attempted to sit up to tell him exactly how idiotic this was considering he just turned eighteen not even three months ago and I was still a minor. The pain that shot through me took my breath away and brought tears to my eyes.

"Shit Alaina don't move!" suddenly there was a flurry of activity and the same kind nurse came in and put something I couldn't see in my IV.

"This should help you relax hun." she said to me.

"Make sure she doesn't overexert herself." she whispered to Jarvis thinking I couldn't hear The room was getting fuzzy as I tried to keep my eyes open. There was a giant warm hand cuping mine and making me feel safe. That was when I succumbed to the darkness for the second time in under 24 hours.

I was in the hospital for two more days for observation. I had some internal bleeding and needed a few staples for the more serious cuts ,but other than that I was fine. Erik brought me my homework and helped me with the new stuff we were learning. He was surprisingly helpful for a boy I only met on the day of the incident. Everyone else was walking on eggshells around me like I was a glass doll they were afraid of breaking and frankly it was starting to piss me off.

"I can walk Jarvis. Don't make a scene." I said with slightly more malice in my tone than was strictly necessary.

I was being discharged today which made me excited and nervous.I looked to my left to Erik who had ,made himself a permanent fixture in the weeks that it took to get free of this place. He just shrugged and let my brother manhandle me into the wheelchair the nurse provided for him. I was a little shocked and embarrassed that my brother could handle the brunt of my weight. I knew it wasn't fair to im, but a little part of my brain was pleased he didn't crumble under the considerable weight of my body. I looked at my feet as that thought crossed my mind. Rik nudged my shoulder. I looked at im confused as to why he looked at me as though I made him mad.

"What are you thinking about to make you frown like that?" he asked blunt as ever.

"N-nothing." I stuttered completely blindsided. He looked at me a little longer and shook his head. That boy was more observant than I knew how to handle. I took a deep breath and forced a smile on my face in the hopes of throwing him off.

"Jarvis just let me down and we can go home finally." I said with a little whine in my voice. His of course worked like a charm on my brother who instantly set me on my feet.

"If you feel any pain let me know and I'll pick you up again."

I looked up at my brother and felt so much gratitude in that moment. This boy was turning into a man before my eyes. I smiled quickly promising to inform him of the smallest twinge of pain.

I was checked out and set free. As soon as I stepped out of the building I took a deep breath of the polluted air and smiled. We herded into Jarvis's new 2012 Honda Civic. The car was painted a nice white and had a few dents in it ,but it was obviously well loved. Jarvis cleaned the whole thing when he first bought it. We drove silently to the old house, the closer we got the more I felt like I couldn't breathe. Rounding the corner onto the street found me hyperventilating. Little flashes of that night raced across my vision. My mind rebelled against the visions leaving me lightheaded and nauseous. The more shallow my breaths became the more I struggled feeling as though I would pass out any minute. All I could do was pray for this to be over quickly.

"Alaina listen to my voice." someone called to me from the darkness. I couldn't listen to this voice I was struggling to keep my head above the water that was threatening to drown me.

"Breathe with me slowly."

"Inhale, hold ,then exhale."

I followed this pattern and the spots around my vision slowly started receding. I blinked slowly seeing a face directly above me.

"What happened?" I inquired after my breath stabilized again.

The scene around me was horrifying. Some of the neighborhood kids were crowding around my body. I could feel my face heat up in shame. I had no idea what the hell just happened to me. I looked into the eyes of the one person who seemed to know what that episode was.

"You just had a panic attack, it happens to a lot of trauma victims." he said calmly as if the last ten minutes didn't happen. I was completely mortified now everyone would know I was a freak. I looked down at my fingers concealing my face with my hair.

"Just take me home." I pleaded.

We got back into the car and rode the rest of the way in silence. Once inside I made a beeline for my room. As soon as the door was opened I was struck by how the same it looked. My life was forever changed in this room. I could have lost my life in this room and yet it still had the same purple wallpaper and comforter. I sat on the bed and held my head in my hands. It was funny really now that I had the privacy to cry no tears would come. I was exhausted from the days events. I lay down facing the wall and prayed to anyone who would listen for my heart to stop aching the way it did.

I woke up to a figure standing above my bed. A wave of deja vu hit me like a ton of bricks. This time I screamed bloody murder. There was a loud crash from the living room and suddenly my room was flooded with light. The look on Erik's face would be amusing if my heart wasn't beating so hard. I don't know what came over me ,but suddenly I was filled with a fury I didn't realize I had inside me. I lashed out without thinking.

"What the hell is your problem? You like coming into girls rooms an just standing over their beds?" I screamed in his face.

"Woah Alaina I just came in here to see if you were going to school today ." he raised his hands in surrender. Today? I looked at the clock on my nightstand. It read 6:30. He was right I would be getting ready for school at this time. I was shocked I didn't remember falling asleep, let alone sleeping for eight hours.

"I'm so sorry." I said running to my bathroom. In my rush to get ready I tripped over my pink flat iron and fell on my face. Used to falling over air I paid no attention to it and decided to stop wasting precious seconds and jump in the shower. It wasn't until I was washing my face that I noticed the stinging sensation above my right eyebrow, but there it was a gash the size of an eraser that was consistently leaking blood. Sighing in frustration I slapped a band-aid on the wound and moved on to moisturizing my body. In no time I was done getting ready throwing on some skinny jeans, my most flattering black top and some random Jordans I was ready to head out .

"Aye Alaina come here and eat some breakfast, with all that rushing around you did we gone make it there early." I looked up at Erik then down at my body. I just shook my head at his request.

'No, I'm gonna have a heavy lunch with some friends." I lied smoothly.He did not look pleased with my answer ,but he had no choice but to accept it. We left for school with a quick wave to Jarvis. I was quietly preparing myself for the spectacle school would be when they saw me ,the fat nerd girl with one of the most beautiful seniors in the school. I shook these thoughts off . I didn't come to school to make friends I need to stop wallowing in self pity and make my momma proud. I raised my head with false confidence and walked into the building. My first few classes passed in a blur and it was lunchtime before I knew it. I headed to the library to hide out and hopefully not run into the boy that seemed to be stuck to my side these days. I grabbed my AP Lit book and moved into a secluded corner. I immersed myself in chiasmus and conjugation and before I knew it lunch was over. Packing all my things I round the corner and the smile that was gracing my face fell at the sight of the fuming boy in front of me. He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the bathroom despite my protests. He rounded on me as soon as the door closed crossing his arms over his chest he uttered one word.

"Explain.'"

My palms start sweating as I think of an answer that would get him off my back quickly.

"Damnit Alaina stop lying to me! What is really going on with you?"his brown eyes danced with anger which only seemed to build as he was met only with silence from me. He punched the closest wall and left the room leaving me feeling like the lowest excuse for a human. He didn't talk to me for the rest of the day and I didn't expect him to . My embarrassment and sadness was quickly turning to anger as the hours passed . Who was he to tell me what to do? I had only just met him, this boy didn't mean anything to me. "Then why are you so upset he won't even look in your direction?' the voice in the back of my head whispered. I slouched down in my seat. The final bell rang pulling me out of my thoughts. I slowly gathered my items as the rest of my classmates raced to get out of the room. Soon the only person left was me. I steeled myself for the silent walk home. Alone.


End file.
